maraca

[ muh-rah-kuh, -rak-uh ]

noun
  1. a gourd or a gourd-shaped rattle filled with seeds or pebbles and used, often in a pair, as a rhythm instrument.

Origin of maraca

1
1815–25; <Portuguese <Tupi maráka

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use maraca in a sentence

  • Two guitars, a cornet, maracas, sticks and a lugubrious baritone.

    The Five Arrows | Allan Chase

British Dictionary definitions for maraca

maraca

/ (məˈrækə) /


noun
  1. a percussion instrument, usually one of a pair, consisting of a gourd or plastic shell filled with dried seeds, pebbles, etc. It is used chiefly in Latin American music

Origin of maraca

1
C20: Brazilian Portuguese, from Tupi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012